308 swap over?

[peter lena 8,619]

@John312-8 as you push in the outside lever handle , to the side of the unit , you will see the gap / play in that lever , easy to see what you need to firm up / lubricate , before adding the slide spring clip . firm / solid smooth , also added a  3/8 x24 HEIM joint to the end , to replace the sloppy trundle joint , used a 3/8x 24 die nut over the original 3/8 x 16 threading , as said that area is a gold mine for correction  , also added a 2 bolt flange bearing to the steering column .battery  ground cable , bolt  point , wire to electrical rectifier mount screws , on engine tins , insuring amperage /  charge rate . all my changes were tried on my c 85 , verified , then added to my other  312- 8,s , anything I suggest , has many hours of operation on them ,  work consistently  with no issues , pete    

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

  Small update: new trans fluid, lubed and greased every single moving part pertaining to the clutch, brakes and lift mechanism, installed the rear fender pan, seat, rear axle bracket and rear tires with inside weights. Did a temp hookup of the rear light, really liking that! 
  Check out the battery, that handle is so nice to use (a “go-handle” for anyone that watches Vice Grip Garage on You-Tube ) 

  

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,455]

2 hours ago, Sparky said:

Did a temp hookup of the rear light, really liking that! 

 

Great for night plowing mowing trail riding etc. 

 

I have a 6 LED light set on the back of the Automatic.  

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

12 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Great for night plowing mowing trail riding etc. 

 

I have a 6 LED light set on the back of the Automatic.  

 The Mag 8 has the wimpy charging system with a separate ac output for the headlights. The more RPM’s the brighter they are. Not sure how the LED’s are going to operate with the fluctuating voltage. 
  Might just wire them right off the battery with an in-line fuse so that they see 12v all the time regardless of engine RPM’s.

  Has anyone else been down this road? Might be a good question for the electrical section 

[Racinbob 11,062]

Never thought about that with leds. Please post what happens. If you do wire direct to the battery you might want to consider switching a relay so it will kill the lights if the engine is shut off. 

[oliver2-44 9,743]

46 minutes ago, Sparky said:

 The Mag 8 has the wimpy charging system with a separate ac output for the headlights. The more RPM’s the brighter they are. Not sure how the LED’s are going to operate with the fluctuating voltage. 
  Might just wire them right off the battery with an in-line fuse so that they see 12v all the time regardless of engine RPM’s.

  Has anyone else been down this road? Might be a good question for the electrical section 

I asked my son that works in the commercial light and sound business. He said fluctuating voltage is typically not good for LEDs. Wiring directly to the battery would be better for them. 

[ebinmaine 67,455]

48 minutes ago, Sparky said:

Might just wire them right off the battery with an in-line fuse so that they see 12v all the time regardless of engine RPM’s.

  Has anyone else been down this road?

This is the way.  

 

Mine are wired so they go through the key switch but see direct battery voltage.  

[wallfish 16,994]

The A terminal on the key switch will provide 12v from the battery and also turn off power to the switch when the engine is turned off.

Or don't use a switch for "day time running lights) that would be on all the time the tractor is running.

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

37 minutes ago, oliver2-44 said:

I asked my son that works in the commercial light and sound business. He said fluctuating voltage is typically not good for LEDs. Wiring directly to the battery would be better for them. 

 THANKS! Appreciate you reaching out to an expert. 
  Fed off the battery it is. 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,547]

2 hours ago, Sparky said:

Might just wire them right off the battery with an in-line fuse so that they see 12v all the time regardless of engine RPM’s.

  Has anyone else been down this road? Might be a good question for the electrical section 

Yup... brake light off my old trailer... repurposed...

 

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by SylvanLakeWH

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,330]

Looking good Mike. Are you sore after doing this work? I have trouble wrenching like I used to

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

17 minutes ago, stevebo said:

Looking good Mike. Are you sore after doing this work? I have trouble wrenching like I used to

  Dang…I didnt wanna tell anyone I was sore, but I am a bit. 
  And I haven’t even swapped the motor over yet! My Dr. Has me on limited light duty for awhile. Gonna ask Tony (neighbor) to move the motor over once it’s all unbolted. 

[ebinmaine 67,455]

6 minutes ago, Sparky said:

  Dang…I didnt wanna tell anyone I was sore, but I am a bit. 
  And I haven’t even swapped the motor over yet! My Dr. Has me on limited light duty for awhile. Gonna ask Tony (neighbor) to move the motor over once it’s all unbolted. 

Don't be pushin' too hard Mister.  

[Moparfanforever 844]

I get sore working on my WH tractors. I get sore just thinking about working on my tractors, and alot of other things. 

 

Thank goodness for Tylenol !!

Thank goodness for Blu Emu !!

[kpinnc 12,013]

6 hours ago, Sparky said:

Not sure how the LED’s are going to operate with the fluctuating voltage. 

 

I can't offer specific current numbers, but a bank of LEDs pull less current than two factory incandescents. 

 

My repowered 310-8 has PAR-36 LEDs up front as well as LED tail lights. Per my digital voltmeter, the voltage drop when they are on is between 0.1 and 0.2vdc. Two factory headlights is more than half a volt drop.

 

If the Mag 8 has at least a 3 amp regulator, I would think you'll be fine with full LEDs. You should even have some extra for charging. You could also wire a seperate "momentary" switch for that big tail lamp if it puts you over budget. Just make sure you place a ground strap between the hood and frame. LEDs tolerate a little voltage fluctuation far better than a flaky ground. 

 

 

Edited September 19, 2023 by kpinnc

[ebinmaine 67,455]

3 hours ago, kpinnc said:

make sure you place a ground strap

I'll second that. 

You know how I like multiple grounds on my tractors. 

Battery to engine. Engine to frame. 

Every circuit has its own. 

When it starts to look like black spaghetti you're there. 

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

Wrapped this one up today. 
  My original plan was to have all three lights fed right off the battery and not use the fluctuating AC 12v circuit. But the charging system is only a 1.25a system (not impressive), running two LED headlights at 9 watts apiece is already drawing more than the unit charges PLUS I have the rear LED light. Wired the two original incandescent headlights into the AC lighting circuit instead and the rear LED light directly off the battery. Separate switches obviously. 
  Swapped the tighter/less sloppy tie rods from the original 308 onto the 312 frame. I suspect the smaller/lighter Mag 8 puts less strain and wear on the front end parts. 
  Choke, throttle, grounds, PTO etc were pretty straightforward. Used the 308 hood  since it’s still an 8HP machine. 
  Fired up, runs great, steers nice, all lights work etc! Very happy with how this one turned out and really enjoyed the garage time . 
 

 

 

 

 

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

  The original 308? Well it has given its life so that others may live  . 
  I’ll be stockpiling parts in boxes and bins for future tractor repairs. 
 

[kpinnc 12,013]

16 hours ago, Sparky said:

the charging system is only a 1.25a system

 

Holy cow I didn't know it was that limited! 

 

You did a great job on this one Mike!

[Marv 922]

On 9/18/2023 at 8:37 PM, Moparfanforever said:

I get sore working on my WH tractors. I get sore just thinking about working on my tractors, and alot of other things. 

 

Thank goodness for Tylenol !!

Thank goodness for Blu Emu !!

Sore is trying to become a full time job.

Marv

[ebinmaine 67,455]

1 minute ago, Marv said:

Sore is trying to become a full time job.

Marv

Been there. Don't let it win.